Salesforce skills and certifications are in high demand in the information technology industry and you’ll be positioned to take your career to the next level with a few certifications under your belt. 

But what’s the best way to prepare for the exam? An online Salesforce certification course is an ideal place to start. Whether you’re new to Salesforce or need to brush up on your skills, we’ll go over several options for you to choose from that go beyond an test guide.

We explored over 100 Salesforce certification courses on the web and come up with our top picks. The featured courses are from LinkedIn Learning, PluralSight, Trailhead and Udemy. While this CRM platform is popular and these names are well-known, you should the platform that make the most sense for your needs.

Here’s a description of each course, who it’s for and the price point. We’ve also categorized the courses by skill level: beginners, intermediate students and advanced students.  

These Salesforce Certification Courses are great for if you’re just learning the ropes.

• Who it’s for: Beginners
• Price: $19.99

Just $19.99 gets you a seat in this bestselling course from Udemy — it’ll teach you everything you need to know to pass the Salesforce Administrator Certification Exam.

When you enroll, you’ll have instant access to 10.5 hours of on-demand video, 17 articles, 2 downloadable resources and 1 practice test. The class begins with a lesson on how to create your own free account. You’ll also learn core concepts of the platform along with the mechanics of deploying the Lightning Experience in Salesforce.

The class is instructed by Mike Wheeler, Salesforce trainer, and Aaron Wheeler, Adobe certified expert. It’s designed for beginners and those who are a bit more experienced who want to take the Salesforce Administrator Exam. 

• Who it’s for: Beginners
• Price: Free 

It’s fun to prepare for your Salesforce Administrator Certification test through Trailhead’s course. 

This 53-hour class begins with an overview of the test so you’ll know what to expect when it’s time to test. It’s followed by an organization setup task in Salesforce. Once you’ve got the foundational work out of the way, you’ll jump right into the first Salesforce Platform Basics module. 

As the course progresses, you’ll be required to complete a series of assignments and projects to demonstrate your proficiency in the subject. The class wraps up with helpful study tools and a practice test. 

Enrollment is free, but you’ll need to sign up for a Trailhead account to get started. 

• Who it’s for: Beginners
• Price: Included with a monthly subscription 

You might want to gain a better understanding of how Salesforce formulas work if you want to enhance your user experience. This 5-star course is worth exploring. The class is a little over 1.5 hours and includes 6 modules. 

Instructor and software developer Dan Appleman covers formulas, data, operators and functions. He also shares real-life examples and testing formulas that can significantly assist you when as you use the platform. 

The enrollment fee for Formula Fundamentals in Salesforce is included in the $29 PluralSight monthly subscription. You can also grab a seat for free by signing up for a 10-day trial. 

Have you mastered Salesforce mechanics? If not, these intermediate-level courses may be a good fit.

• Who it’s for: Intermediate students
• Price: Included with a monthly membership

Taught by Christopher Matthew Spencer, a Salesforce certified administrator, this course is best for those who are ready to start preparing for the qualification exam. 

The 1-hour class touches on the benefits of certification, what’s included in the test and how to register. You’ll also learn which study materials are most useful and the tips you should implement to increase your odds of earning a passing score on the first attempt. 

It’s free to enroll with a $29.99 LinkedIn Learning monthly membership. But if you’re not yet a member, sign up for a free 1-month subscription to access the course for free.

• Who it’s for: Intermediate students 
• Price: $19.99

Learn what it takes to pass the Salesforce Platform App Builder Certification Exam in this bestselling course from Udemy. You’ll also learn how to set up security and access permissions, configure a role hierarchy, build apps on the platform and a host of other useful skills. 

This class includes 19 hours of on-demand video, 11 articles and 6 downloadable resources to supplement your learning. Once you’ve reached the finish line, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion. 

Enrollment is only $19.99 and it’s best to have a working knowledge of Salesforce before you sign up for the class.

• Who it’s for: Intermediate students
• Price: Free 

You’ll be able to review key concepts that appear on the Salesforce Platform App Builder exam. This class begins with a primer on Salesforce fundamentals and dives into more complex concepts related to app building. 

The material is delivered through interactive modules that include hands-on tasks and projects designed to enhance your experience. After the course, you can work through real-life simulations that apply to concepts featured in the certification exam. Expect to spend approximately 55 hours working through the course.

Make sure you know design, building and implementation of custom application basics before you enroll in the course. 

Do you have extensive knowledge of the platform or are you a Salesforce certified administrator? You may be interested in these advanced courses.

• Who it’s for: Advanced students
• Price: $19.99

Do you want to take your career to the next level as a Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator? This course, the first of a 3-part series, will deliver you a sneak peek into what the process entails. You can proceed with the other 2 classes in Udemy if you enjoyed the first.

Test drive this 5-hour course for only $19.99. You can receive your money back within 30 days of enrollment if you’re not satisfied for any reason.

The Salesforce Administrator Certification Credential is a prerequisite for this course and you’ll also need it to sit for the exam. 

• Who it’s for: Advanced students
• Price: $19.99

Are you interested in the Cloud Consultant Certification? If so, you might want to consider taking this class. This Udemy bestseller will equip you with the knowledge needed to pass the exam. Over 1,700 students have enrolled in this comprehensive course to date. 

You’ll be able to access a thorough discussion of the components of the exam. Instructor Mike Wheeler also covers implementation strategies, sales cloud solution design, marketing and leads, opportunity management, sales productivity and a host of other integral concepts. 

You can enroll for $19.99 and have instant access to 11 hours of on-demand video, 13 articles and 7 downloadable resources. 

• Who it’s for: Advanced students 
• Price: $19.99

This bestselling course will prepare you to pass the Salesforce Service Cloud Consultant Certification Exam. It includes 115 lectures condensed into 11 hours of video. You will also have access to 9 articles when you enroll. 

Instructors Mike and Aaron Wheeler offer 11 modules to deliver you access to essential industry knowledge. You’ll also earn the mechanics of implementation strategies, service cloud solution design, building custom service apps, knowledge management and interaction channels. 

Enrollment is $19.99 and you should have experience working in Salesforce before you register for this class. 

Going beyond a practice exam, you need a certificate course that meets you where you are. The best Salesforce certification programs meet the following criteria

Are you an IT employee? If so, you’re well aware that Salesforce is a sophisticated customer relationship management platform. Make sure you get an instructor who can break down terms, concepts and methodology. Look for a Salesforce trainer who’s well-versed in the platform and understands how to get you through the online certificate program. A Salesforce consultant may know the platform, but make sure they teach in a manner that speaks to you.

You can’t expect to become skilled in Salesforce by practicing a multi-page document. For this reason, the course should be interactive and include tasks or projects that allow you to apply the knowledge you’ve learned in the modules. It’s also a bonus if the instructor provides demonstrations for you to reference at a later date if needed. 

Most importantly, the course should include at least 1 practice test to test your proficiency in the material. Otherwise, you won’t know whether you’re prepared to take the salesforce certification test or if you need more time to study. 

Some classes may force you to rush through the material to meet deadlines. As you explore sales Certification courses, confirm that you’re allowed to work at your own pace prior to the Salesforce exam. That way, you can take your time and deliver yourself the best chance at passing the applicable test on the first attempt. 

Enrolling in a reputable Salesforce certification course is the best way to set yourself up for success. You’ll take the guesswork out of trying to figure out what concepts to focus on and you’ll increase the odds of passing on the first try. 

New to Salesforce? Consider a free course to get acclimated with the platform. Once you’ve mastered the basics, move on to more complex material — enroll in intermediate and advanced courses. 

Confirm that the course is taught by a Salesforce trainer with a stellar track record. The course should also be self-paced so you have an ample amount of time to understand, retain and apply the information shared in the class. 

Heads In The Clouds At Dreamforce

Salesforce said more than 90,000 people registered for its Dreamforce 2012 conference in San Francisco, a testament to its expanding cloud platform, which now supports marketing and sales applications as well as a wealth of business applications launched on its AppExchange.

Continue on and see some of the most alluring products and initiatives launched at Dreamforce last week.

Dell Sets Up Salesforce Consulting Practice

Coinciding with Dreamforce, Dell announced a Salesforce consulting practice to provide services to help its customers to deploy Salesforce solutions and to effectively use the Salesforce cloud-based platform. Dell also said it has received Salesforce Platinum Partner status due to its customer base and its pool of consultants, who are certified in implementing Salesforce solutions.

Dell's Salesforce Consulting Services include Deployment Services, in which the company's Salesforce consultants work with Dell customers on best practices for Salesforce solutions; Collaboration and Social Media, in which consultants and customers determine the best Salesforce collaboration tools to deploy; Integration, to develop a plan for migration and integration of enterprise data and services; and Cloud Architecture, where consultants will guide SaaS and PaaS cloud strategies and build custom applications on the Salesforce platform.

Badgeville Releases Gamification App

Badgeville launched Badgeville for Salesforce on the company’s AppExchange social apps marketplace.

Badgeville for Salesforce provides a gamification software layer on the company's Salesforce Sales Cloud deployment.

Badgeville said that using its gamification features, companies can increase sales productivity, accelerate lead conversions and sales cycles, and maximize the value of their Sales Cloud deployment.

Gamification mechanics can be configured directly in the cloud by Salesforce administrators using a native, wizard-based approach. The app uses refreshable rewards that can be reset according to a company's sales practice.

Genesys Expands Services On Salesforce Platform

Customer service and contact center provider Genesys rolled out software that integrates with the Salesforce platform for expanded services. Called Genesys Connect for Service Cloud, the program takes customer service best practices and integrates them with Salesforce and a cloud delivery model.

The software provides an integrated user interface for agents and employees to use across the voice, social, Web and mobile customer channels. It facilitates customer service best practices, using templates for customer interaction routing, which are easily configured.

Angoss Launches KnowledgeSCORE on AppExchange

Angoss Software launched KnowledgeSCORE, its cloud-based predictive sales analytics offering on Salesforce’s AppExchange.

KnowledgeSCORE identifies prospects, organizes sales opportunities and defines actions to take to increase sales productivity. Its predictive sales modules include prospect scoring, opportunity scoring, sales forecasting and next best actions.

KnowledgeSCORE provides rapid data integration from internal and third-party data sources to locate opportunities for more effective sales performance.

The cloud-based software integrates with Salesforce to Boost sales management processes and deliver recommended prospects and next best actions directly to your sales team for execution.

Reachable "Social Proximity" Ready For Salesforce

Reachable released a new version of its software that offers social proximity selling features for users of the Salesforce platform.

The new version lets organizations add capabilities to leverage professional and personal connections, called "social proximity" - to help enhance better sales.

Reachable software lets Salesforce users compare sales reps and accounts by showing them which of their sales reps have the strongest relationships to targeted accounts and allow them re-assign accounts within Salesforce. These features complement existing Reachable social proximity capabilities that let Salesforce.com users rank leads and opportunities based on the strength of personal relationships.

Fliptop Adds Social Profiles For Salesforce

Fliptop unveiled its Fliptop Social Profiles for Salesforce, which adds Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles to a salesperson's contacts and leads to make connections easier.

San Francisco-based Fliptop is a venture-backed contact intelligence software vendor that helps companies link their customer databases to social information. The application, available on AppExchange, can be installed in minutes and costs $19 per seat per month.

Intuitive New Marketing Program

Intuitive demonstrated at the Dreamforce conference its AdvocateHub, a platform that helps B2B companies use mobile strategies to help customers with marketing.

The AdvocateHub platform provides a game-like experience with user rewards, such as recognition, social capital and professional networking.

WalkMe Web Guidance Platform Ready For Salesforce

WalkMe, an interactive, online guidance system, introduced its WalkMe-for-Salesforce.

The web guidance software provides website visitors with step-by-step directions for completing tasks or gathering information.

WalkMe lets online service providers such as SaaS vendors, trading platforms, banks, healthcare organizations and e-commerce companies create interactive on-screen "Walk-Thrus," to help users finish tasks.

ClosedWon Releases QuickQuote on Salesforce AppExchange

ClosedWon launched QuickQuote on Salesforce’s AppExchange marketplace for social apps for business.

QuickQuote lets users quickly find, add, update and remove multiple products all on one page using Opportunities, Quotes and Products in Salesforce. With the app, sales teams can skip the standard, time-consuming quote generation process.

QuickQuote includes an interface that lets account executives easily alter quantities, sales prices and discounts.

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